The 2018 Stephen King's novel, The Outsider, was adapted successfully by HBO early in 2020, and both fans of the novel and critics have praised the miniseries, not only for its stellar direction but for the impressive acting from actors like Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, and Cynthia Erivo.
However, despite having a good and proper finale, some details had might scape from viewers. especially from those who haven't read the book. Because, the thing is, The Outsider is a long book, and lots of the material from it was left in the cutting room. So, if you still have questions after the ending, you might find some answers here.
Why Wasn't Terry Maitland Given The Benefit Of The Doubt
Everyone was sure Jason Bateman's Terry Maitland was the killer but his lawyer, Howard Solomon, who proved his innocence by finding footage that put Terry in a conference at the time of the murder. Despite this, no one believed him still.
The reason for this is hinted in the book by the outsider who boasts about taking "others who had strong alibis and immaculate reputations. With evidence and eyewitness testimony, the alibis and reputations make no difference. People are blind to explanations that lie outside their perception of reality."
Why Did The Outsider Target Young Children?
The outsider is presented, both in the books and in the show, as a creature looking to feed itself. Almost like an animal searching for something to eat. But, why did it attack children? Why didn’t it feed on adults?
Well, in the final showdown against the outsider, Holly taunts it by calling it "a sexual sadist and common pedophile" angering the beast. The outsider justified its actions by suggesting that it just ate "to live", but in reality, the monster was a perverted predator.
Holly Gibney's Personality
Holly Gibney is the private investigator contacted to help clear Terry Maitland's name. In the show, portrayed by Cynthia Erivo, Holly is presented as a person with lots of quirks and having OCD. In a show as serious as this one, some may ask themselves why such a peculiar character makes an appearance.
It's not a coincidence though. Holly Gibney has shown up in other Stephen King books, notably the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, where her story is explored, demonstrating her impressive abilities for which she is contacted.
The Death Of Joy Peterson
Joy Peterson is the mother of Frankie Peterson, the kid for whose murder Terry Maitland is arrested. Soon after his death, his family starts to disintegrate, starting with Joy, who collapses in front of her husband and son.
Later, the remaining family receiving the tragic news in the hospital: Joy had died. It is implied that she had a heart attack, but if you weren't paying attention, you probably missed it. In the book, we are told explicitly what happens to her by herself, as she is collapsing.
The Reason Jack Hoskins Turned Bad
The show is very ambiguous on how Jack Hoskins, succumbs to the influence of the outsider. It is implied that Jack gets spared of great pain and traumatic hallucinations if he does as he is told. But, would that be enough to make him hurt other people?
In the novel, there's no pain but a promise. The outsider promises Jack to cure him of his skin cancer. This gives a hint about the power of the outsider since its influence doesn't rely on inflicting pain, but the promise of getting rid of it.
Why Did The Outsider Want Furniture?
While Jack Hoskins is possessed by the outsider, he's commanded by it to shop at Home Depot. All kinds of furniture end up in the woods, near the protagonist town, and then in the cave where the final encounter takes place.
Not in the show nor the novel it's explained explicitly why the monster needs these items, but in the book is hinted that it wanted to feel like he had a home, as the content of its lair is described as "the kind you might see in any reasonably well-appointed living room."
The Death Of Heath Hofstadter
Terry Maitland wasn't the first victim to have his identity stolen from the outsider. Before him, there was Heath Hofstadter, a nurse convicted for the murder of two girls. Hofstadter goes to prison where he ends his own life before getting jumped by another inmate.
However, the show portrayed the suicide as if Heath was trying to escape from something he was being haunted by. In reality, as it's written in the books, Hofstadter (or Holmes, as he is called in the books) killed himself out of pure misery for being wrongly accused.
The Origins Of "El Cuco"
The way Holly Gibney explains the idea of a shapeshifting monster named "El Cuco" is fairly different from the book. At the reunion with all the main characters, Holly explains beat-by-beat her reasoning for the suspect to be a supernatural creature, but in the novel, she helps herself with an old Mexican movie that portrays a fictional version of the outsider.
The show just hints at it, but the book goes deep by explaining, rather accurately, how "El Cuco" belongs to different Spanish-speaking cultures, even referencing the song many people of Hispanic descent would remember: "Duermete niño, duermete ya, Que viene el coco y te comerá" (Sleep little child, sleep now or "El Coco" will come, and will eat you).
The Burned Man In Public
Throughout the first half of the season, we see a figure in a hoodie with a disfigured face that lures in the background. Later, we learn this is "El Cuco" hanging around the people closer to its victims, feeding off their grief. This also happens in the books but in a more clear way, since the creature's presence is notable by the characters, even Ralph Anderson notices a "burned man" when Terry Maitland gets shot.
This is why the outsider doesn't get noticed when being in public. While transforming from one identity to another, its face just looked like a burned person.
Andy Katcavage
Derek Cecil's Andy Katcavage becomes one of the most pivotal characters during the season. He's just not the romantic interest of Holly Gibney but helps her team to track down the outsider. He is one of the only who stands by her, even when everybody thinks she is crazy. So, it begs the question, why such an important character gets killed so unceremoniously at the end?
For starters, Andy its an original invention for the show since he doesn't appear in the book. His function is to allow the audience to get into Holly's head, considering that, in the novel, all her theories and conjectures are inner monologues. But Holly is a lonely character in essence and to maintain her thematic integrity, Andy had to bite the dust.